The invention relates to a holder, in particular for an electronic device, and in particular to a holder for a mobile phone (wireless phone or cellular phone), a remote control, a palmtop or similar. The holder according to the invention can e.g. also be used for presenting exhibition objects, e.g. in shop windows, show cases or similar.
Electronic hand-held devices, such as mobile phones, remote controls and palmtops, are normally provided with a keyboard and a display which is sometimes configured as a touchscreen. Various holders are available which allow convenient operation of such devices and convenient view at the display even when said devices are not held in the hand but are e.g. placed on a table or similar. For example, cellular phone holders for motor vehicles exist, which are on the one hand adapted to the cellular phone housings and on the other hand permanently fastened in the vehicle. For palmtops (electronic calendars) holders exist which are configured to be placed onto a surface (table or similar) and are also adapted to the housing of the palmtop.
It is an object of the invention to provide a holder for electronic hand-held devices which is universally applicable, easy to manufacture and can conveniently be used in particular as advertiser.
According to the invention a holder for an electronic device, such as a mobile phone, a remote control, a palmtop or similar or an exhibition object, is suggested, the holder comprising:
a plate element having an upper side and a lower side,
a recess formed in said plate element, said recess being defined by a recess edge,
at least one stand flap protruding from a first section of the recess edge and hingedly connected with said recess edge, configured for supporting said plate element on a surface, and
at least one undergripping flap protruding from a second section of the recess edge, said second section being essentially arranged opposite the first section, and hingedly connected with the recess edge, configured for undergripping an electronic device to be placed onto the plate element,
wherein a groove or perforation is arranged in the plate element within the first section of the recess edge for hingedly connecting the stand flap with the recess edge for the purpose of moving the stand flap beyond one of the two sides out of the plane of the plate element, and
wherein a groove or perforation is arranged in the plate element for hingedly connecting the undergripping flap with the recess edge for the purpose of moving the undergripping flap beyond the other one of the two sides of the plate element out of the plane of the plate element.
The holder according to the invention is configured as an integral material blank comprising in particular a sandwich-type plate element preferably configured as a rectangle. The plate element preferably comprises two outer layers forming the upper and the lower outer layer of the plate element. These two outer layers are made from a plastically deformable material, in particular a metallic material and preferably aluminium or an aluminium alloy or copper or brass. Between the two outer layers at least one inner layer made from a flexible material, in particular a thermoplastic material, is provided.
The plate element can be a sandwich structure or can be produced without an inner layer so that it only comprises one layer.
The plate element comprises a recess defined by a recess edge having a plurality of sections extending at an angle to each other. Hingedly connected with said recess edge are a stand flap and an undergripping flap. These two flaps are connected with the recess edge in the form of living hinges. The living hinge of the stand flap is preferably formed by arranging a groove in one of the two outer layers (e.g. the lower outer layer), wherein said groove extends through the respective outer layer up to or into the inner layer. Preferably the bottom of the groove lies approximately in the middle of the thickness of the inner layer. This allows the stand flap to be moved or pivoted out of the plane of the plate element and beyond the respective outer layer, i.e. by plastic deformation. Said plate element is thus supported on a surface by the stand flap at an inclination to said surface (similar to a picture holder placed on a surface). Looking at the plate element from the front, i.e. looking at the outer layer averting the surface, the groove configured for attaching the stand flap via the living hinge is not visible; rather the other one of the two outer layers, which does not comprise any grooves in this area, is visible in the area of attachment of the stand flap to the recess edge. Depending on the viewing direction the grooves are visible and can thus be integrated as design elements in the holder design.
In the same way the undergripping flap is also flexibly attached to the recess edge of the plate element, said undergripping flap being deformable towards the front side of the plate element such that it grips under an electronic hand-held device to be placed onto the inclined plate element. Consequently, the groove provided for attaching the undergripping flap via a living hinge is arranged on the plate element front or upper outer layer facing the viewer and extends up to or into the inner layer.
The stand flap and the undergripping flap of the plate element of the holder according to the invention are arranged on first and second sections of the recess edge, said first and second sections being essentially disposed opposite each other, and extend into the recess when the flaps are arranged in the plane of the plate element. When the two flaps are oriented in a way required for setting up the holder on a surface, the two flaps are bent out of the recess. As the electronic hand-held device in most cases has round forms and in particular rounded rear sides for optical and ergonomical reasons as well as for reasons of improved haptics, the housing of these electronic hand-held devices slightly extends into the recess when said devices are placed onto the holder, which results in a centering effect. But even electronic devices having a flat level rear side can be placed onto the holder according to the invention in that they are leaned against the inclined plate element in the condition as undergripped by the undergripping flap. The holder according to the invention is also realizable by means of a plate element which is completely made of one material. Said material then comprises grooves for flexible attachment of the flaps.
The holder according to the invention is easy to manufacture as a material blank and can be dispatched in the flat condition in a space-saving and thus inexpensive manner. Setting-up of the holder, i.e. alignment of the stand flap and the undergripping flap, is very simple, which facilitates handling of the holder both during setting-up and during use. Further, the plate element of the holder may serve as an advertiser in that it is e.g. provided with prints.
The aforementioned grooves constitute local weakened portions of the plate element such that the flaps are easier to bend. These weakened portions of the material can also be realized in a different manner, e.g. by perforations which penetrate the plate element or partial layers of the plate element. Further, a combination of grooves and perforations can be employed.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention at least two supporting flaps are provided which are arranged laterally relative to the stand and the undergripping flap and protrude from third and fourth sections of the recess edge, said third and fourth sections essentially extending transversely to the first and second sections, on which the stand and the undergripping flap are arranged, and being positioned between them. The supporting flaps, too, are preferably hingedly connected via a living hinge-type connection or via perforations with the recess edge for the purpose of plastic deformation, wherein the grooves arranged for this purpose are provided in the same outer layer as the groove provided for hingedly connecting the stand flap. These two lateral supporting flaps narrow the recess in the area of the supporting flaps such that even smaller-sized electronic hand-held devices can be placed onto the holder. This allows the holder to be used for electronic devices with a relatively large variety of housing sizes and housing shapes (round, oval, polygonal etc.).
To allow the stand flap to be configured with a relatively large width when lateral supporting flaps are provided such that the plate element is securely supported on a surface, it is advantageous if the stand flap comprises recesses in its side edges facing the supporting flaps, in which recesses the supporting flaps are accommodated when the stand flap and the supporting flaps are arranged in the plane of the plate element and protrude into the recess. In this way almost the entire width of the recess (extension of the recess between the recess edge sections provided with the supporting flaps) can be utilized by the stand flap. The stand flap may further extend beyond the supporting flaps up to the vicinity of the undergripping flap. Owing to the recesses in the side edges of the stand flap the flaps can thus be arranged in a space-saving manner within the recess. This is advantageous with regard to waste of material. The individual flaps can thus be formed by arranging three slots in the plate element. Two of these (longitudinal) slots extend along the side edges of the stand flap along the third and fourth sections of the recess edge and around the side flaps as well as along the side edges of the undergripping flap, while the third slot extends between the free ends of stand flap and undergripping flap and thus transversely to the longitudinal slots to connect the longitudinal slots with each other.